Sunday, January 4, 2009

Retail in Bizarroland

Watching this compilation of 60s commercials from East Germany - advertising a department store chain called Konsum (rhymes with condom) - is like floating in an alternate universe. It probably helps not to understand a word of German, which lends the whole thing a surreal air only enhanced by the creepiness of the announcers when they appear on camera.

Those with the stamina to stick it out - past the ghastly shop-windows-in-the-snow montage, past the maddening "Tausend Kleinen Dinge" theme music in the housewares ad, past the horrifyingly depressing Christmas segment - will be rewarded with a genuine DDR-style fashion show.

Enjoy. I think my favorite moment is that all the housewares models have the same shoes; a telling detail.